Navaratri- A Verse

  


           Navaratri- A verse:


Nine, they say, nine
Days of elation, with faces 
Stricken with entrancement, sounds of
Benign bliss from houses, reverberating
Through paths of vermillion light, reflecting
In eyes lined with divinity.
I say, " I dare not to think so."
And, my, you should see
The brilliant turn of heads in symphony-
Just what I would have expected
From those who saw themselves as one
With the calm flame waving in 
The wind, at the feet of the
Silent terracotta idols, the very
Primal beings sculpted from deep rich earth.
I raise my voice further, knowing my
Next words would reach the minds, the
Hearts of many-

"NINE DAYS, did my ears hear wrong?! They seem so 
short, so full in raw ecstasy that they
sprint past in one, truly complete 
echo of the past."
And, must I say, there were amazed
responses of all sorts- from the
mildest of grunts to the most 
acknowledging of wide-mouthed grins.
Then turn the heads once more- to the
Sheer centre of the room, where the
Momentous dolls stood in the midst
Of an almost placid crowd of devotees.

While the hosts greeted the crowd, formally so,
The crowd's attention stoic, unmoving,
There was only one among the mob
Whose usually unsteadfast attention caused
Her mobile eyes to settle past the lit wick-
And there, she, or rather I, saw,
Something quite as unmoving as the crowd;
The clear outline of flame
As it reflected in the eyes of the idol
Of Kali, set on the reminiscent pedestal.


-Sahana Raghuraman

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